Water resources

Future temperature increases and rainfall changes are likely to place additional pressure on water resources in some parts of NSW. Understanding the changes will help decision-makers manage the state’s water supply in the long-term.

Research update

Office of Environment and Heritage is currently collaborating with other government agencies and research institutions to provide updated information on the potential impact of climate change on water. The research, which uses projections from NARCliM aims to support decision-makers in strategic and operational planning. The projections are also informing the development of the next Sydney Metro Water Plan.

The Sydney Water Balance Project, the NSW Office of Water, the Australian Department of Environment , Sydney Water, Sydney Catchment Authority, the University of NSW and CSIRO. Provides information about how Greater Sydney's water supply may be affected by climate change over time.

The 2010 NSW Climate Impact Profilecontains information about the likely changes in rainfall and run-off in each region of the state by 2050.

Do you want to see how climate change will affect your region?

This site works best when viewed in a modern browser, for instance Internet Explorer 11 or latest versions of Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.

The Adapt NSW site now has an interactive map that allows you to see how climate change is projected to affect your region. You can look at the high resolution grid maps which display climate change at 10km scale or the regional maps which provide a summary for your region. Click through the variables and different time periods to see how the climate is projected to change for your region.

Are you looking for climate change data?

For the first time, the NSW and ACT Regional Climate Model (NARCLiM) allows you access to high resolution climate change data. This data is in a format that can be inputted directly into most biophysical models. You can choose the variable, time period and location of the data you want to download. The data portal provides instructions on how to download the data.

Do you want to learn more about climate change?

The About Climate Change tab provides a one stop shop for information on how and why our climate is changing. There is information to help understand the causes of climate change, climate change modelling, evidence of climate change today and how NSW is responding to the challenge.

Do you want to know how to adapt to climate change?

Climate change projections help us to understand how climate change is going to impact us. We then need to know how to adapt to those impacts. Adapting to climate change provides information on what adaptation is, sector specific issues and responses, and the process you can go through to understand and respond to the risks to and vulnerabilities of your services, assets and community from climate change.